Busch R5 Vacuum pump

[One tap short]

Does anyone run one of these vacuum pumps? If so, what size, pros, cons, general reliability???

Thanks in advance!!!

[JoeJ]

I have used a R5-100, 5 HP, 62 CFM pump for 5 seasons.

Pros: Makes great vacuum very fast, plenty of CFM's for 2,360 taps
Pretty bullet proof. First season mechanical moisture trap failed and unit was pumping sap out exhaust. Changed oil and filters, works fine
Pump will run continuously for days on end making high vacuum

Cons: Needs to be in a heated room (50 degrees) in order to start without stressing the unit. That is OK, I have an electric moisture trap that has to be in a warm room too.
Pump makes quite a bit of heat and you have to keep the vacuum room door open on warmer days with a fan blowing on pump
You cannot run the pump with the vacuum level under 22". The unit will blow the oil out the exhaust. Almost ruined the pump 3 times before I got the problem solved
Oil is very expensive. At Lapierre, $32.00 a quart, pump requires 2 quarts. For this season, I found the oil at Boston Vacuum for $19.00 a gallon plus shipping
Interior oil filters are very expensive. Requires 2 filters at $60.00 apiece
Must have an electric moisture trap (which I found out after the mechanical trap failed)
I do not like the Lovejoy fitting between the pump head and the motor. I have had to replace it once. Not an easy fix
The oil return line from the pump head to the reservoir is too small. Had to replace with a larger line.

If I knew all this stuff before I bought the R-5, I would have gone with a two stage Sihi oil cooled liquid ring pump like the one at my sugar house. It is pretty much care free. Change the oil yearly and drain any water out of the bottom of the oil cooler daily. The Sihi does not have as high a CFM output, but makes high vacuum and I have not had a problem in 8 season with it.

Joe

[One tap short]

Thanks for the response Joe!

How high of vacuum will that pump pull on that many taps? Are you running a mechanical releaser or an electric?

I have a heated room already and have to open the door on the warmer days as well. I currently run an Atlas Copco GVS60 and am happy with how it performs but it is a little undersized for what I have. My main reason for upgrading to a larger pump is because I want to pull higher vacuum. I can easily pull 24 now on 2750 taps running 2 mechanical releasers and one 1600 dry line but if one tap comes off or a squirrel gets angry I lose vacuum like crazy. The GVS 60 just does not have the CFMs to make up for something like that.

Jeremy

[JoeJ]

The R-5 will pull 28.5" of vacuum when the woods are tight. The usual daily vacuum level is 27.5". There is 2,360 taps on the system. The dry line is 3" for 550, then 2,300' of 2". the wet line is 2,850 of 1 1/2". I have a vacuum monitoring system and at the end of the furthest line in the woods at 3,200' the vacuum level is still 27.5" I have a Lapierre electric releaser. At last springs open house at either CDL or Lapierre, I saw a new electric releaser that I thought was quite an upgrade from the 5 year old one that I have now.

With the CFM's that the R-5 pulls even at 28.5", I can have a fisher cat chew (for some reason, in these woods, the red squirrels don't chew the lines) or a deer cut off a line and the vacuum might drop an inch.

Joe